Fine, We're Damaged
by IHateYouToTheMoonAndBack
Summary: "Let's be normal. See bad movies, sneak a beer and watch TV. We'll bake brownies or go bowling, don't you want a life with me? Can't we be seventeen?" Maybe they weren't that different after all. Maybe they were just two teenagers who wanted so desperately to be normal. Maybe all they wanted, was to be seventeen.


Fine, We're Damaged

 _Let's be normal, see bad movies, sneak a beer, and watch TV._

 _Can't we be seventeen?_

Short one shot based on the song Seventeen from Heathers The Musical. I was going to make a Heathers AU because the plot is kinda perfect for these two but there are not enough teenage characters for a proper Heathers AU. Also, go watch that movie, go watch the musical as well because the songs are amazing! Candy Store is my favourite.

Warning! This fan fic contains slight drug references and swearing.

 **-Enjoy!-**

It was snowing in the city at night. The snow fell daintily, like fairy dust floating around in the early January sky. A Friday night in the city, and everything was exploding with light and energy. Which is exactly what Penny loved about the city. She loved the feel of the frigid night air biting at her face and the wind whipping through her golden hair. The girl walked down the road, light emitted only from the streetlamps over her head and the headlights of passing cars. She walked until she reached the cafe on the corner, a place she visited often due to it's proximity to her apartment. When she entered the cafe, the smell of hot coffee enveloped her in a warm hug and a wave of heat washed over her. The blonde removed her gloves and shoved them into her bag. She ordered a green tea, something calming that wouldn't keep her up at night, she already had trouble sleeping as it was. She took the warm cup in her cold hands, steam wafting from the cup as she took a small sip, immediately burning her tongue on the scalding drink. She recoiled for a moment before gently blowing across the top of the liquid, cooling it before she took her next sip. The cafe buzzed with people, their voices becoming nothing but noise to the girl as they all seemed to blend together. Their faces were apparitions in a bustling crowd, simple phantoms of the world, wanderers and dwellers. She didn't have time to observe, she had only come for a simple coffee, she had things to do.

She noticed two girls sitting at a table together, coffee cups littered around them, hunched over a laptop, eyes narrowed in concentration. They looked to be her age. Seventeen. But their priorities were vastly different from her's. Those girls were still in high school, probably finishing their last year. They were probably studying for a test, or working on a project, or vigorously searching job websites and looking for university programs to apply to. She wondered what that was like. Having no serious responsibilities and simultaneously feeling as though the weight of the entire world was on your shoulders. She never had to worry about university applications or looking for a small retail job and finding a tiny apartment that she could barely afford on minimum wage. She already had finished school and had a job, one that paid a lot more than minimum wage. When you're a secret agent, everything else just seems so little to you. If she chose to, she wouldn't have had a problem finding a part-time job or a university to attend. They were just, meaningless little things. Of course, to those girls, such things as finding the right school or job weren't meaningless little things. Nope, jobs, friends, and school were their entire seventeen-year-old lives. She wondered what it was like to worry only about getting into your first choice school and finding the perfect dress for prom, the thought sounded ludicrous to her. However, seventeen must be so stressful when you don't know what you want to do or who you want to be. She didn't envy those girls. Or, at least, that's what she told herself as she left the cafe, the cold air swirling around her.

She shouldn't have continued to think about those girls, but all she had on her mind was what it must be like to be a normal teenage girl. What it must be like to wake up and go to school instead of training, and hang out with friends at the mall. Penny quickly shook her head. No, she mentally scolded herself, didn't envy them. Why would she envy two girls who, while the same age as her, lead completely mundane lives? Their lives were so normal, and they were going to stay normal. They were going to work part-time jobs and live in tiny apartments during university, eating nothing but ramen noodles and Kraft Dinner. They were going to graduate and get better jobs that pay significantly better than retail, and if they wanted to would eventually get married, or go travelling, or just be whoever they wanted to be. Penny smirked to herself. If she had gone to a regular high school with regular kids, then she wouldn't have done as much travelling as she had, she wouldn't have been given the same opportunities that she has. But at the same time, she felt like she had missed out on something. She had missed out on awkward yearbook photos and bad cafeteria food, she missed out on ditching school to go to the mall with her friends, and making excuses to teachers about why she hadn't done her homework. She had never been in a play, or been to a school dance. She missed out on awkward slow dances to cheesy love songs, and awkward first kisses by the lockers. She never picked out the perfect dress for prom, or worried about graduating, she never threw a graduation cap into the air victoriously. She was seventeen, but she didn't feel seventeen. Looking back, she had basically skipped being a teenager entirely. She was forced to grow up so fast, she never really had time to slow down and enjoy her youth.

The blonde turned down the dark sidewalk, snowflakes falling daintily around her, they were graceful like ballerinas. There was something so magical about the city when it snowed, something so spectacular, and absolutely beautiful. She just had to stop and stare for a while. And it was here, on the dark sidewalk with snowflakes tangled in her hair, that something unexpected happened. She was standing on the sidewalk, warm coffee keeping her hands nice and warm, when someone bumped into her. The figure was at least a head taller than her and was quite larger than her in stature, but the blonde knew she could easily take them if he tried anything. But the way the figure moved, the way they stumbled, it was almost like they weren't entirely present. Hesitantly, she turned to face them. She nearly dropped her coffee when she saw his face, in the golden light of the streetlamp above them. She noticed his eyes widen slightly in recognition, but only for a moment before his face became void of any emotions at all. Silence passed between them, neither of them moved. Penny wondered if he would walk away, or if she would, but neither of them did. So she did the only logical thing she could think of at this point, say something.

"Talon?" Her voice was small and soft.

Talon didn't respond. It was then that she realized just how red his eyes were, how his body seemed to shake uncontrollably. She would have passed the symptoms off as result of the cold weather had it not been for the strong smell coming off of him. He smelled like cheap beer and cannabis. That, plus the staggered way he had been walking, made it easy to tell what the teen had been doing prior to this encounter. Although this boy was her enemy, she couldn't just walk away from him while he was obviously drunk and high.

"Are you alright?" Penny asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

Penny could feel him swaying, it was obvious he could hardly walk straight.

"S'fine." Talon's voice was slurred. "Jus dizzy."

Talon tried to take a step away from her, but stumbled back. Penny caught him before he fell, realizing very quickly that he definitely wasn't alright. She needed to get him someplace safe before he found himself in a dangerous situation. She could call him a cab back to Dr. Claw's lair, but he changed locations so often she wasn't sure where the lair was, and she was never going to be able to get that information out of Talon. With a sigh she realized there was only one thing she could do. She slung the young man's limp arm around her, allowing him to use her as a crutch as the two hobbled down the street.

"Talon, I'm taking you back to my apartment." Penny calmly and firmly explained.

"No," Talon whined. "M'fine."

"You're not fine," She replied, hauling him towards the building. He was a lot heavier than she had thought. "I'm going to help you."

Talon grumbled, but didn't say anything else as Penny lead him into the building. The heat hit his face instantly, kissing away the frostbite that had plagued him just moments earlier. He hardly registered Penny guiding him over to the elevator, nor notice her fumbling with her keys when she reached the door. He only seemed to come to his senses once Penny set him down on her living room couch.

"You're a lot heavier than you look." Penny commented.

Talon stared at Penny, silently wondering how someone like her could ever be so kind to someone like him. She brought him a glass of water, Advil, and a blanket and sat next to him, watching him intently. Talon picked up the Advil and inspected it thoroughly, making sure his enemy wasn't trying to poison him. After passing the inspection, he brought the glass of water to his lips, gulping it down with the blue pill in a matter of seconds. It helped balance out the alcohol in his system and soothe the sharp pain stinging in his head. Minutes passed, neither of them spoke, they simply sat in silence in the dimly lit living room. Talon felt a wave of dread quickly wash over him. He was alone in his enemy's house with her, she could easily turn him in once he felt better. But there was something about the way she looked at him, the wave of concern washing over her face, the way she rubbed his back in comforting circles. She shouldn't be kind to him. He didn't deserve her kindness.

"Why?" Talon's voice cracked.

Penny's hand stilled on his back.

"I should be asking you the same question." Penny replied.

Talon raised an eyebrow at her, not completely understanding her words.

"We both know that you're smarter than this." She continued. "You know better than to drink excessively and take drugs. Why would you do this to yourself?"

Talon grumbled, not wanting to tell his enemy of all people about what drove him to make the choices he did tonight.

"Who cares?" Talon finally mumbled, avoiding the blonde's hard stare. "Guys my age do things like this all the time."

Penny rolled her eyes. She didn't believe for one second that he'd done this to himself because he didn't care.

"That's a bullshit answer and you know it," Penny told him. She watched as Talon rolled his eyes and took another sip of his water, clearly ignoring her. "I'm serious Talon, please talk to me."

"Why should I?" Talon barked back at her, shooting her an intense glare.

"Is it something with your uncle?" Penny pressed on.

Talon's silence confirmed it. The two stayed silent for a few moments, the only noise was the hum of the heater radiating throughout the apartment.

"You wouldn't get it." Talon finally told her.

Penny found that hard to believe. She knew that something was bothering him, and she wanted him to be okay with sharing things. She understood that he might not want to open up too much, but just talking about his current problem was a start. There was more to his situation than just doing what a normal seventeen year-old does. That's when things began to click in her head.

"I think I get it," She explained calmly. Talon gave her another confused look, he opened his mouth to say something, but Penny immediately cut him off. "The lives we live aren't easy. We both go out of our way to help our causes and our Uncles, we've had to grow up so fast and neither of us has ever had the opportunity to do things that normal teenagers do."

Talon's face softened. He knew that what she said was true. His Uncle had pulled him into crazy scheme after crazy scheme, and he never had the chance to be a teenager. So when a few fellow MAD teens had invited him to a local bar he had obviously jumped at the chance to go, only to find himself ditched and his wallet stolen. Which is how Penny found him, drunk and stoned wandering the streets aimlessly.

"I just wanted to be normal." Talon finally admitted. "I wanted to be seventeen, but instead I ended up like this." He let out a dark chuckle. "People hurt you, or they leave you. Hell, I've always been damaged, even before I was left in that man's custody."

Penny was surprised when he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder, but simply gently ran her fingers through his short black hair. She didn't judge him for acting out, she was just as broken as he did. She felt the young man's body relax, his breathing slowed considerably. It felt nice to have him there with her, to just exist alongside someone who shared a similar experience that she did. Someone who longed to reclaim their youth just as much as she did. She was already mentally compiling a list of teenage things that she never got to do.

"Then let's be seventeen," Penny replied. "We'll watch bad movies, play video games, go bowling, it will be great. I promise you, it will."

A content smile crossed her face, as the multitude of dream scenarios played in her head. Going to the arcade, midnight trips to 7-Eleven for slurpees, sneaking into movies and paying for overpriced popcorn. Maybe she could have the chance to be seventeen, be a normal teenager. The thought sounded so nice to her, but Talon hadn't reacted.

Penny looked down and noticed that the young man had fallen asleep. Penny sighed and slowly manoeuvred him so that he was resting comfortably on the couch, carefully pulling the blanket over his sleeping form.

"Good night, Talon." She whispered, a small smile appeared on her face.

She went to bed content, a light and happy feeling washed over her. She finally felt like a teenager, and she could help Talon feel like one too. Granted, he might not even remember their talk in the morning. She would just have to wait until morning to speak with him.

But alas, when morning came, he was gone.

 **-Fin-**

Okay, sad ending, sorry. Honestly, kinda works with the theme of the musical. This was based on the fact that neither Talon nor Penny really have enough time in their lives to be kids. I think this song is perfectly them.

Since this one shot is sad and gritty, maybe my next should be a bit happier? Mermaid/Pirate AU anyone? Soul Mate AU? Hmmm... Decisions...


End file.
